gasNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94The latest podcasts and commentary from KMUW - Wichita 89.1 FM.NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94gasFri, 18 Aug 2017 04:06:29 +0000gashttp://kmuw.org
Celia Llopis-JepsenResidents of the Flint Hills on Wednesday took a fight against an oil company to Kansas energy regulators as part of their broader battle to stem wastewater disposal in the area. They fear that a request from Quail Oil and Gas to jettison up to 5,000 barrels a day of brine near Strong City and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve brings a risk for earthquakes or contamination of local groundwater — claims that the company disputes. An hours-long hearing in Topeka saw the two sides pit their lawyers and geologists against each other in hopes of winning over the three members of the Kansas Corporation Commission. The commissioners will likely issue their decision within a couple months. Fossil fuel companies churn up saltwater in the course of oil and gas production and dispose of it in wells by pouring or pumping it downward with pressure. The vast majority of saltwater disposal wells are not linked to earthquakes, but Oklahoma and south-central Kansas have suffered temblors forFlint Hills Residents Ask Kansas Regulators To Deny Oil Company’s Saltwater Injection Wellhttp://kmuw.org/post/flint-hills-residents-ask-kansas-regulators-deny-oil-company-s-saltwater-injection-well
87389 as http://kmuw.orgThu, 17 Aug 2017 15:23:04 +0000Flint Hills Residents Ask Kansas Regulators To Deny Oil Company’s Saltwater Injection WellNadya FaulxHundreds of independent oil and gas explorers and producers are in Wichita this week for their annual convention. This year marks the 80th annual meeting of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association . The group, which formed in 1937, says independent producers are responsible for 93 percent of oil and 63 percent of natural gas produced in Kansas. JC Watts , a Republican former congressman from Oklahoma who also sat on the state’s regulatory commission, spoke at the convention. He said the oil and gas industry, and the people responsible for regulating it, have challenges ahead. “Technology over the next 10 or 15 years, I suspect is going to have some consequences, some impact, on the fossil fuel space, and it’s not going to surrounding regulatory policy, it’s going to be surrounding technology," he said. He said he wants to see the government focus more on research and development. Watts also said overregulation of the industry has hurt jobs and progress, but that’s been changingOil, Gas Producers Gather In Wichita For Annual Conventionhttp://kmuw.org/post/oil-gas-producers-gather-wichita-annual-convention
87252 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 14 Aug 2017 22:52:47 +0000Oil, Gas Producers Gather In Wichita For Annual ConventionAbigail BeckmanThe Oklahoma Corporation Commission has created seismicity guidelines that new oil and gas operations in two areas of the state must follow. The affected area includes land from the north-central part of the state, east of Oklahoma City, all the way to the Texas border. The new operations are expected to account for the "vast majority" of new oil and gas activity in the state. Scientists have linked Oklahoma's sharp increase in earthquakes to the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production. But according to the OCC, drilling operations in the area won't produce as much wastewater as other areas where earthquake activity has increased. And less wastewater means less underground disposal, which according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, means earthquakes will be less frequent and of a much lower magnitude. According to the new guidelines, if an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 or higher occurs within just over a mile of the hydraulic fracturing operations, all drillingOklahoma Corporation Commission Creates New Seismicity Guidelineshttp://kmuw.org/post/oklahoma-corporation-commission-creates-new-seismicity-guidelines
77077 as http://kmuw.orgThu, 22 Dec 2016 00:11:53 +0000Oklahoma Corporation Commission Creates New Seismicity GuidelinesDeborah ShaarA new survey by AAA ranks Kansas in the top five states with the cheapest gas prices. If you’ve been past a gas station lately, you’ve probably have seen it: prices for regular unleaded gasoline going down a few cents during the past week. AAA says Kansas now has the fifth-lowest gas prices in the nation, with a statewide average of $2.02 per gallon. That’s 19 cents less than the average price drivers are paying for gas across the country. The prices are even better in the Wichita area, where a gallon of gas is under $2. AAA's weekly survey shows prices have dropped for six consecutive days. Overall, gas prices have remained steady since early September, and we’re paying less than we did a year ago. Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and South Carolina are the states with the least expensive gas prices. -- Follow Deborah Shaar on Twitter @deborahshaar . To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org .Kansas Among Top Five States For Cheapest Gas Priceshttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-among-top-five-states-cheapest-gas-prices
74954 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 31 Oct 2016 21:16:41 +0000Kansas Among Top Five States For Cheapest Gas PricesAssociated PressLower energy prices that are benefiting consumers at gasoline pumps have hit oil- and natural gas-producing counties in western Kansas hard. It's forcing counties to cut spending or increase property tax levies just as the state is ending an aid program meant to insulate them. The state Department of Revenue said oil and gas property values declined an average of 52 percent this year. Sixteen western Kansas counties saw their total property values decrease more than 20 percent, hurting their ability to raise local tax revenues. Kansas created a trust fund in 2005 and set aside taxes collected from oil and gas production for counties to tap when the industry experiences a bad downturn. But in 2014, legislators halted the program, and the last payments to counties were made earlier this month.Lower Oil, Gas Prices Hit Some Kansas County Budgets Hardhttp://kmuw.org/post/lower-oil-gas-prices-hit-some-kansas-county-budgets-hard
58611 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 26 Oct 2015 17:02:07 +0000Lower Oil, Gas Prices Hit Some Kansas County Budgets HardAssociated PressKansas and other states that receive taxes from the production of oil and natural gas, could face budgetary challenges as prices fall. Two taxes are tied to oil and gas prices and production: severance and property taxes. The severance tax is a state levy on minerals extracted from the ground in Kansas, while property taxes are also collected by the state and most local governments on oil and gas wells. Revenue Department spokeswoman Jenine Koranda says "We may not have anticipated the full extent of the drop in crude oil prices and possible production cutbacks that we are currently seeing, thus we may possibly miss the estimate on severance tax revenues." Severance taxes generated about $126 million for the general fund last year, part of which goes into the state's $6 billion general fund budget. A bigger effect will likely be seen in property tax collections, which help fund the public school system and are the primary source of local revenue for most cities and counties. AccordingAs Oil and Gas Prices Fall, Kansas Could Face Another Budgetary Challengehttp://kmuw.org/post/oil-and-gas-prices-fall-kansas-could-face-another-budgetary-challenge
45091 as http://kmuw.orgMon, 05 Jan 2015 17:25:12 +0000As Oil and Gas Prices Fall, Kansas Could Face Another Budgetary ChallengeAbigail BeckmanAlthough the average gas price in Kansas is only a penny below where it was a month ago, a report from AAA reveals a significant decrease in cost from last year. KMUW’s Abigail Wilson has more... Kansas gas prices are 32 cents less than they were a year ago, ranking the state second for year over year declines in gas prices. Jim Hanni , spokesperson for AAA, says the price decrease is the result of what was happening at this time last year. “We had all kinds of refinery shut downs and issues in our part of the country which made our gas prices in the Midwest higher even than the national average,” Hanni explains. According to Hanni, the national average price for retail gasoline usually declines after Labor Day, due to the end of summer driving season and an increase in supply. In recent years, gas prices have bottomed out around mid-November. He says consumers could see big drops in price this year between Halloween and Thanksgiving.Gas Prices Down From Last Yearhttp://kmuw.org/post/gas-prices-down-last-year
40145 as http://kmuw.orgTue, 09 Sep 2014 21:05:52 +0000Gas Prices Down From Last YearKansas Public RadioGas prices in Kansas have been on the rise. Jim Hanni of AAA Kansas says its not because of an uptick in demand. Instead, its because of a possible supply problem. There are concerns that we may not be able to get oil at the same pace out of the Middle East, and that certainly whats been driving the increase in gas prices at the pump here now, says Hanni. He says that the uncertainty of the Middle Eastern oil supply is affecting the Midwest more than anywhere else in the nation. Gas prices throughout the region are heading back up toward an average of about $3.50 for regular unleaded.Kansas Gas Prices Jumphttp://kmuw.org/post/kansas-gas-prices-jump
2496 as http://kmuw.orgTue, 17 Jul 2012 10:16:00 +0000Kansas Gas Prices Jump